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It’s official. All Americans can freeze their credit for free. The changes, which were slated earlier this year to go into effect on Friday, September 21, are live on the sites of the three major credit-reporting bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

Now you can freeze your credit for free

It’s been more than a year since the Equifax data breach, in which the company disclosed that criminals had stolen the personal information of nearly 150 million Americans in a massive hack of their computer system. Social Security numbers, names, address and credit card digits were all part of the trove.

One year later, Congress has made sure that Americans have a no-cost way to put safeguards in place to deflect attacks on their personal info. Here are the new changes given to consumers:

Unfreeze your credit for free: In addition to freezing your credit without charge, you can unfreeze or thaw your credit for free ,as well.

Free child credit freezes: Previously, it depended on what state you were in, but now parents and guardians to get a free credit freeze for children under age 16.

Free fraud alerts: Initial fraud alerts will last for one year, which improves on the previous time period of just 90 days. Identity theft victims can get extended fraud alerts for seven years.

Take this important step BEFORE you freeze your credit

The #1 security issue online these days is identity theft. That’s why Clark says the one thing you need to do before you freeze your credit is to put in place a way for you to monitor your credit. This is what he wants you to do:

Free credit freezes: Equifax

The Atlanta-based company now has a webpage on its site that promises three easy steps to freezing your credit.

Once you click the “Get Started” button you will be prompted to fill out an online application that will take you through the process. At the end, you will be issued a PIN. Whatever you do, keep up with it.

Craig Johnson is a conscious money-saver who still reads paperback books and listens to vinyl. He likes to write about how technology is making things easier and more affordable — but also sometimes more dangerous — for the modern consumer. You can reach Craig at [email protected]